


A Mermaid's Song

by Lilafly



Series: Mereldia - Before The Fall [1]
Category: Mereldian
Genre: Fighting, Gen, Mermaids, Minor Character Death, Mythology - Freeform, Pirates, more tags will be added when the story progresses, slight depiction of violence and mangling, vicious mermaid
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-20
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2019-02-17 13:25:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13077813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilafly/pseuds/Lilafly
Summary: Tania lived a happy life as the regular mermaid that she was. When her 150th birthday approached she set out to take the rite of drowning a sailor and bringing his eyes to her birthplace to become a siren.A small human girl catches her attention though and she unknowingly forms a bond with her, that makes her unable to harm those close to the girl. When something happens to Minna though, Tania feels obliged to save the poor girl and has to begrudgingly accept the help of Minna's older brother Lio, whose eyes Tania would very much want to take if she weren't unable to.





	1. Innocence

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first published work of the series I'm starting about Mereldia before the war of dark magic. In a time where people just start to find their way to it, while fae and other creatures long since have it figured out.
> 
> (please keep in mind that English is my second language, so there might be grammar errors and typos)
> 
> [I just updated this chapter (29th January 2018) because I couldn't get anywhere with the other first chapter I had. Therefore I decided to wait with the capture a little and get some more backstory on Tania and some other characters first. It will hopefully flow much more smoothly this way.]

Tania stretched on the rocks that loomed out near the small lone island, enjoying the last rays of sunlight before the ocean would swallow it. She admired how her scales shimmered in beautiful hues of blue, turquoise and even a slight purple here and there. Despite that, her sisters’ tails were much more beautiful, especially that of her oldest sister Blanche. It was white but seemed to shimmer in every colour of the so rarely seen rainbow. Not only made her scales, her blonde hair and her bright eyes Blanche breathtakingly beautiful, but she was also the most vicious siren Tania had ever met. That her oldest sister was the leader of their group was not surprising.

The mermaid sighed as the sun dipped below the horizon, taking its pleasant warmth with it. This marked the end of the last day of Tania’s life as a simple mermaid. Tomorrow at this time, she would be on her way to become a siren. It wasn’t something she could avoid or procrastinate, for she would turn 150 when the sun rose again. A birthday that was important in every mermaid’s life, for it marked the day where they, for the first time, would take a sailor to his death. His eyes would be the only thing that remained, taken to the place the mermaid was born in the sea. Then, and only then, would they earn their claws, fangs and land form. Features that would honour her and make her even deadlier. It would make her a siren, like her older sisters.

 She wondered what colour the eyes of the man she was going to kill had. Would they be blue like the sky? Would they be grey like storm clouds? Would they be green like seaweed? Or would they be brown, like so many human eyes were? Her sisters often told her that some colours were rarer than others, unlike mermaids, whose eyes shimmered in all colours of the rainbow like a fish’s. The only difference between the eyes of mermaids was that the tone behind the shimmer, which was always a different one. Blanche’s eyes were, when looked at closely, an icy blue for example, while Tania’s own eyes were blue like the sea on a sunny day. Vivienne, one of her younger sisters, even had a golden tone to her eyes, making them shimmer like the coins humans treasured so deeply and which Tania often found in shipwrecks when exploring.

While the thought of becoming a siren was exciting, it was also terrifying. To kill one’s first sailor was not just a tradition, it was a rite of passage. One could fail it in many ways and no outcome of a failure was desirable. She has heard tales of mermaids who had become captured or even killed by humans. The thought alone sent shivers down the young mermaid’s back. It was, however, not the only way to fail the rite. Some mermaids were simply too kind-hearted or cowardly to take a sailor’s life. Blanche has even told her the horrendous story of a naïve mermaid who thought she could get around the rite by taking a seal’s eyes and bringing them to her birthplace. The punishment for such a dirty trick was to be abandoned by your group. Your _family_. Of course, the naïve mermaid has been doomed to stay a mermaid forever too, never to become a siren.

Tania did not consider herself a coward. Hell, she had killed a great white shark once when it got too close for comfort. She may not have claws and fangs yet, but she had strength and a temper of fire. She would pass the rite, there was no question about it! So why did she feel so nervous? It was not like it would be the first time she would see a human. She had curiously watched them from afar before, fascinated by their different but yet so similar physique and manners. They were no match for her. If she would grab one and pull him underwater, they would be a goner, no doubt.

Deciding that her worries were for naught, she slid off the rock back into the water. The journey back to the cave her sisters and she stayed at was a short one, but she already had exhausted her thoughts previously anyway. Instead of thinking of the next day, she watched the fish swim around the corals. She briefly considered catching one as a snack, but then decided she was not hungry.

When arriving at the cave, which was only half underwater, she was greeted warmly. Her older sisters immediately swarmed her, eager to, again, tell her of their rites and how they killed a sailor, wanting to give her all the advice possible before she’d set off alone at dawn.

“Remember to always lure them in with your voice first. Men cannot resist a mermaid’s song and they’ll be in a trance. While they’re distracted, you grab them and pull them under water. That’s it!” Elusine said knowingly with a grin.

“And stay away from women! A mermaid cannot enchant them with their song and even a siren often has problems with them,” Lou said fearfully.

“They often don’t do much though, do they? It’s always the men who do all the hard work and protect the women. It’s rare to see them on boats anyway,” Elusine cut in.

“There are some fierce and dangerous ones out there, so stay on guard,” Blanche said and her hand trailed Tania’s cheek worriedly. The leader’s concern seemed to infect the younger sisters as well.

“Please don’t be caught or killed, Tania! I simply couldn’t live with myself knowing I could have saved you!” Vivienne said dramatically and looked positively beside herself with worry. She had been trying for several moons to persuade Blanche to let her come with Tania on the rite to keep her safe and also to see how it was done, but the oldest had denied. The rite had to be done alone. No one was to help her and if something went wrong, it would be entirely her fault. Sirens were perfect beings. Who failed in something as simple as drowning a sailor did not deserve to become one.

Tania smiled reassuringly at her little sister. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I’ve seen humans and how frail they are in comparison to us. If a sailor falls for my song, they don’t stand a chance.”

“That’s the right attitude! Also, say, can you save a few fingers for me as a snack? I’m craving them right now”, Elusine said with a grin as she wrapped an arm around the blue-scaled mermaid’s neck.

“Elusine, that’s rude! It’s her first sailor! At least let her savour him whole!” Lou said in an outraged shriek.

“Enough with your bickering now! Give poor Tania some space,” Blanche said with an amused chuckle, to which Tania gave her a thankful smile. She had to admit that while she deeply appreciated her sisters wanting to give her advice, she also _did_ feel kind of crowded by them. She needed to keep a clear mind to prepare for what was ahead of her.

“Let’s just have a normal night before I set off. A celebration for my last night as a simple mermaid?” Tania said with a playful smirk. It was a suggestion that was met with joyful shrieks and laughs. All night long the cave was filled with songs they sang together while brushing each other’s hair, polishing their scales and admiring treasures they found. Shortly before dawn rose, they had one last swim outside the cave in the open sea, which Elusine and Lou made a race out of. A race that Blanche won. It was a time filled with laughter and the love of a family.

As the sky above the ocean brightened, all of them swam to the surface, Tania being the first to break it. This was it. Her rite would begin now and there was no one to stop her.

“Please be careful out there, Tania,” Mirella, their youngest sister, said in her usual timid tone while nervously running a brown strand of hair between her fingers.

“Sure, she’ll be. Tania is a smart one!”, Elusine said seemingly without any worry and laughed.

“I’ll be fine,” Tania assured, but her smile seemed to have given some of her insecurities and hidden worries away, for Blanche swam up to her. The oldest sister gently cupped her face and swiped a strand of black hair – it shimmered midnight blue in the early morning light – behind her ear.

“The rite is not always easy, Tania. If it is, you got lucky,” she shot a look to Elusine who just shrugged. “You have to stay on guard at all times. Humans have become fiercer and more dangerous in the last centuries, so that I certainly had it easy half a millennium ago at my rite. Watch out for traps and women, they are the most dangerous. Otherwise, rely on your voice and speed.” The ethereally beautiful siren placed a soft kiss on her younger sister’s forehead and then moved back to smile encouragingly at her.

“Thank you. I’ll do my best”, Tania replied with a grateful smile. She already felt better. Her sisters mirrored her smile. She then hugged each of them, saying her goodbyes before swimming off on her own.

 

Tania swam, excitement bubbling inside her. There was no time limit to the rite. It just took as long as it would take to find a ship or even a person at land stupid enough to follow a mermaid’s call into the water. After she got his eyes, she would have to swim all the way to the place she was born in the sea. It would be a long way to the Crolus Islands, so Tania decided to shorten her journey a little by swimming there in the first place. She hadn’t been to her birthplace in a while, but she remembered that several shipping routes were around the area. To find a sailor would be easy then.

While she did consider herself a fast swimmer – though not as fast as Blanche or Lou – it still took her four full days to reach the islands. As she passed the spot of the ocean in which she had been born, she greeted it like an old friend, enjoying the warm feeling of rightness it gave her. The next time she’d be here, she would have a sailor’s eyes in her hands and offer them to the sea. Giddy excitement filled her at the thought.

For the first time since starting her journey, she resurfaced to look around. The islands were barely visible on the horizon. Black against the midnight sky. What did catch her eye though was a light to her right. A ship, she realized with a grin.

This was perfect! It was basically next to her birthplace! If she got a sailor from that ship, she would be a siren in a matter of minutes! She could not recall her sisters having had such luck. Lou had even said that she almost lost her sailor’s eyes when she had to outswim a shark that was dead-set on making her a meal. With her hands full with the precious and fragile eyes, she had not even tried to fight it.

Tania tried to not let her giddiness get the better of her as she cautiously swam closer to the ship. She did not know much of ships, but from all the ones she had ever seen, this was certainly the biggest and most glamorous one. It was pretty, making her give out a joyous laugh. The sea gods had blessed her with luck, it seemed.

Determined to not lose another second, she began to sing her favourite song. It did not take long for the occupants of the ship to gather at the railing and watch her dance around in the dark waters, singing her song. Her grin turned wicked. It was only a question of time before one of the sailors would jump into the water, too drawn to the song to resist being separated from her any longer. Her patience paid off, as one of the men suddenly climbed the railing, ready to jump. The anticipation almost made her stop singing. Her first kill. She was about to make her first kill.

Then her song suddenly became a painful wail when something impacted with her right shoulder. She turned to see an arrow sticking there, blood pouring out of the wound. She had been wrong. She was not blessed with luck after all. It was just too good to be true. The arrow had hit her exactly at the spot on her shoulder where her scales stopped and her skin began. It had hit a vulnerable point and it _hurt_. It hurt _SO. MUCH._ She had never been wounded by a human weapon before. Never had iron impact her skin.

With a furious hiss, she pulled the arrow out of her arm and let it sink into the ocean. The few moments it had taken her to do this, the song had lost its spell and the sailors on board now glared at the sea monster in the waves below. Tania let out an angry hiss and a growl before diving down again. It was best to take her time and let the wound heal before trying again. There was not a limited number of tries after all. You just failed your rite when you gave up or were unable to fulfil it due to being captured or killed. She did not plan on either of those. It just left the question of _who_ had shot her. All men should have been under her spell, unable to do anything but admire her beauty and being drawn to her song. She gritted her teeth in frustration. Had there been a woman on board who had the skill to fight? Just her luck…

 

Tania had come to the conclusion that waiting for another ship to come by was probably the best option. With a female archer on that one ship, she did not stand a chance. Blanche had warned her about something like this, but the unlikelihood of it happening had dimmed her worries. Well, she should have taken her sister’s warning more seriously.

The mermaid was very thankful for her ability to heal herself, otherwise, the injury would have been a pain to take care of. She had done that for a dolphin once, nursing it back to health after being hurt in a fisher’s net. Poor thing could not swim right for moons. Just _imagining_ the same thing happening to her was a nightmare.

Even long after her injury was healed, Tania lingered at her birthplace, content in its comfort. She needed the dangerous ship to pass and a new one to take its place. Preferably a smaller one. Hopefully, a fisher’s boat would be nearby. That would be just one man alone and he would be within reach. Such was easy prey. But easy prey was no fun. Killing her first sailor was a momentous occasion. To just pick the easiest prey would feel like dishonouring her rite. No, she needed more of a challenge. The thrill was an important part of hunting after all. How was she going to stay serious when she would surprise a lone sailor that she could take easily even without singing?

This wouldn’t do. She needed something grander. Luring a person from the shore into the waters seemed like the suitable thing to do in this situation. With no new big ship in sight and with fishers’ boats being out of the question, it was her only option left.

Having made up her mind, Tania left the comforting waters of her birthplace and swam towards the distant shore. It was early morning, so perhaps she would need to wait for a man to appear. She pulled herself up on a rock, draped her tail around it and inspected her scales to pass time. Making herself _that_ visible to any passer-by might not have been wise, but it was not like she was an ambush predator after all! No, ambush was certainly not a preferable hunting method. She wasn’t a Kelpie for goodness’ sake! Enchanting and charming her prey was much more amusing and entertaining in itself. But for that to be possible, there needed to _be_ prey to lure in. The problem was, that there wasn’t any. _Yet_.

Humming a song, the mermaid starting combing through her hair with her fingers while watching the sun rise. The fifth sunrise since her journey began and she yet had not been successful. She could almost _hear_ Blanche scolding her to have more patience and that the rite could even take _years_ for some mermaids. Well, Tania was determined to not be one of _those_. She had already waited 150 years to become a siren and she was sick of waiting.

This was yet another reason why ambush wasn’t an option for her. Impatience would someday be her downfall, Vivienne had preached.

 _Well, what does_ she _know? She has not lived long enough to be even_ close _to her rite yet!_

A noise from the shore pulled Tania out of her thoughts. There was a forest nearby and that was where the sound of a twig breaking in half had come from. The shuffle of steps – _bipedal steps!_ – drew closer and the rustling of leaves grew louder.

 _Yes! Finally, I am in luck! For real this time! A lone person is easy to lure into the water!_ Tania thought, desperately hoping that it wasn’t a woman. Her joy was interrupted by a second, quieter and also seemingly smaller set of steps adding to the first. Two people. Just her luck. But it was no problem. No problem at all! If they both were men, she’d be able to lure in not one but two humans for her to choose from! Of course, she’d choose the one with the prettier eyes, but also kill the other. Oh yes, she’d have a feast! This was the best thing that could have happen–

“Hurry up, Minna. Mum needs the berries before the morning rush starts!” a male voice said, followed by a higher pitched sigh.

“But I’m tired and my leg hurts!” a small voice whined. Tania cocked her head. She had never heard a human with a high voice like that. Was it…a human’s offspring perhaps? Young creatures tended to have higher voices than the adults. She knew that from sea lions and the like. Mermaids and sirens didn’t have offspring since they were born of the sea, already grown up in body.

“We’ll treat it as soon as we’re home. It’s just a small scratch anyway, so you’ll live,” the male voice spoke again and this time emerged from the forest so Tania could finally see him. He looked like an adult when also a young one and he carried some weird object in his hands. It seemed to be filled with something, for he was quite careful with it.

Shortly afterwards, the owner of the smaller voice emerged from between the trees as well. Tania has been right in guessing that it was a human offspring. How were they called again? Children? To her disappointment, the child seemed to be female. Then again, what could a child do? Unlike the archer from the previous night, this one here was unarmed and she also lacked the physical strength to do anything. It would be an easy and maybe even entertaining feat for the mermaid to lure in the young man.

She was about to start singing, about to lead the foolish human male to his doom, when the little girl turned to the sea and noticed her.

“Lio, look! A mermaid! She’s so pretty!” The child had stars in her eyes and stared at Tania in wonder. The blue-eyed noirette was taken aback to the point where the song died on her tongue before she could sing it. Of course, she was pretty. She _knew_ she was a beauty to behold, especially in a human’s eyes. To have something as innocent as a child look at her without fear and with such wonder made her curious though. Not ever in her life had anyone ever looked at her like that without them being under her spell.

At least the young man’s reaction was appropriate. He froze and stared at her in horror, knowing what her presence meant and therefore what her goal was. His reaction snapped Tania out of her surprise and made her grin. It was easy. So very easy. She had her eyes locked with those of the man and only now noticed their unique colour. Not a brown or blue like she had anticipated or even a rare green. No, his eyes were _golden_. Never had she heard about a human having golden eyes. It must be extremely rare, which made him perfect for her rite. A special prey for a special occasion.

The splashing of water made her break eye contact and gaze at the child that now approached her giddily.

“Minna, no! She will kill you!”, the man shouted in panic and ran after the girl. She had already reached the rock with Tania though and held up an object to her. It was the same object that the young man was carrying and the mermaid could now see what it was filled with. Round things that looked like edible pearls. She had heard of those before. How were they called again?

“Those are blueberries! We collected them on the hills just now. I bet you don’t find these in the sea. Do you want some?” The little girl asked with an innocent shimmer to her eyes.

Despite what legends portrayed and what many believed, it was not like mermaids and sirens were heartless. Especially the former wasn’t. A hatred towards men was deeply-rooted into their being for a reason unknown to them. They drowned them and ate them, convinced that their mere existence was a crime. Hunting them and killing them felt like she was doing something just. Women only deserved her wrath when it came to personal grudges. The female archer from the previous night certainly was one of them. If she would ever get within reach of Tania’s soon-to-be claws, she would never see the light of another day.

She did not only kill because she was a mermaid, but because there always seemed to be a reason. For killing the young man with the golden eyes, there was the reason of her rite and of men having to die in general. The kindness of a small child, a girl nonetheless, offering her a gift, however, was _not_ a reason to kill or even harm.

Shifting her position on the rock to have a better look at the _blueberries_ , Tania let her tail fins brush against the girl’s legs. There was no danger about this innocent small being, so the mermaid did not mind. Otherwise, she would have minded physical contact with a human a lot. At least when it did not involve drowning them.

Carefully, Tania took one of the berries and turned it around between her fingers, watching how the morning sun shifted the blue tones on it.

“You can eat it!” The girl said with a grin and nodded in encouragement. Tania didn’t doubt it. She might be inclined towards meat and fish, but eating something else than that surely wouldn’t hurt, would it? It was not human food per se, after all. It was fresh from nature and she _appreciated_ nature.

After another moment of hesitation, she placed the berry on her tongue and chewed. Her face lit up with delight. It was the sweetest and most delicious thing she had eaten in a long while.

“Do you like it?” The girl asked excitedly. Tania couldn’t help herself but give an honest smile. Children were delightful creatures. She would tell her sisters about them. Maybe the girl could bring her more berries and she would take her sisters here to share them.

 _I’m getting ahead of myself again!_ Tania scolded herself and forced her view to drift to the other occupant of the beach. The young man with the dark brown hair and golden eyes stood frozen a few metres away from the rock she was sitting on and watched the scene unfold in front of him with an expression of both confusion and horror. She looked back to the child.

“It is divine”, Tania eventually replied to which the girl’s grin grew even wider.

“I know, right? Our town’s blueberries are the best! Oh, but mama needs them for the bakery, so I can’t give you a lot.” Not only the child’s demeanour started to drop. What was a bakery and how could Tania destroy it so she would get more of the blueberries? Before she could voice the question though, the child spread out a cloth of sorts on the rock in front of her, placed a handful of blueberries on it and tied it together in a small bundle.

“You can keep the handkerchief if you want. It’s a present!” The child’s soul was pure, so she did not suspect any hidden evil intentions. It was simply a gift. How sweet. Tania was about to thank her when the girl suddenly excitedly spoke up again.

“Can you please grant me a wish, Miss Mermaid?”

 _A wish? Do I_ look _like a unicorn!?_

“What is your wish?” Tania said instead to not be rude. After all, this child was being kind to her. No need to ruin it.

“I want to go on a ship and find my papa! Oh, and can Lio come too? He’s my brother!” At the last part, the girl excitedly pointed at the boy, which Tania made a point not to look at.

“I don’t see what is stopping you. There are hundreds of ships on sea every day. Surely you can find the one your _papa_ is on eventually and go on it. Drag that man with you too if you so desperately want it.” The mermaid shrugged. What a silly wish. Didn’t humans usually wish for gold and other precious things? But going on a _ship_? They did that all the time! Even if mermaids _would_ be able to grant wishes – which they couldn’t, Tania was sure of that – then why would someone waste their wish for something so _common_?! She didn’t get it.

Seeing how the man seemed to mean something to the girl though, it made Tania’s decision to kill him a little harder. Would others come? Yes, surely others would come! Impatience be damned! There would be men with impure souls, contrary to that of this child. They would have a demise suited for their dark doings and the girl would live on happily with her family and go on her damn ship.

It was then that Tania noticed the little girl’s bleeding leg. That wouldn’t do. She climbed down from the rock and slithered slightly in the shallow water. The girl’s brother looked like he was about to do something, but for some reason, he stopped in the motion of walking over. A wise choice. She did not like his company.

“Your tail is so pretty! I’ve never seen scales that are so blue!” The girl said in awe. The mermaid just smiled at the compliment and then bent down to kiss the girl’s wound. Tasting the blood of innocence was quite the unique experience. She knew immediately that she would never be able to harm such an innocent being. Not ever. It also filled her with regret. Why she did not know.

When she lifted her head again, the wound was gone, making the girl gasp. “You healed it!” she said excitedly.

“A little ‘thank you’ for the blueberries”, Tania said, took the bundle filled with said fruits and slithered into deeper waters before disappearing below the surface again. She did not turn around to see their reactions and did not even entertain the thought of drowning the man. There was innocence in this world and it was hers to protect. If sparing the life of a single man would keep this child happy, then she gladly did it.

It just left her wondering _why_ exactly it seemed wrong to bring harm to anything related to this child.


	2. Encounter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally got this chapter out! It really took a goddamn long time and I even changed the whole story in the process! o.o  
> Enjoy! :D

“There are more over here!” his sister shouted and ran to the spot she had just discovered despite her basket being already full.

“Leave them be, Minna. What we have should be enough for now and Mama needs the berries for the pies as fast as possible. We can come back here later and collect more.”

“But…”, Minna started to argue, seemed to think better of it then and sighed. “Okay, but you have to promise that we’ll come back here later!”

“I promise,” Lio said with a smile and then motioned his little sister to follow him back to the town.

Minna, no one to ever do things without complication, was determined to take a shortcut to pass the few meters separating her form her brother. Though her idea of a shortcut ended upgoing through thorny scrubs.

“Ouch!” she suddenly cried out, which made Lio turn around to her. Minna’s dress was caught in the thorns and a particularly big one had scratched her right knee. When he moved to help free her, she just stubbornly collected her dress in her one free hand and walked through the rest of the thorns with determination. It still was impossible not to notice that she was close to tears.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes,” she pouted, not willing to admit to having made a mistake.

“Let’s get going then. The sooner we get back to the bakery, the sooner I can take care of that scratch,” Lio said and started walking again. He silently offered his sister to take her basket, but she held it out of his reach with a frown. Minna was a doer in a scarily determined way. Above else, she was still an eight-year-old child though, so it was only a matter of minutes before she started complaining.

“I’m tired,” she admitted, underlining the statement with a drawn-out yawn. Lio was tired too, but admitting it wouldn’t change a thing. Living in a bakery meant waking up before dawn to get everything ready for when customers would arrive. This morning, their mother had needed blueberries for some pies, so Minna and he had been sent to collect some. Luckily, they knew the forest like the back of their hands, or they would have gotten horribly lost in the, at this time, still dark woods. Meanwhile, the sky had brightened to the point that the sun just started peeking over the horizon, basking everything in a fiery orange light.

“We’ll go over the beach. That way we’ll be home faster. The tide should be falling now anyway,” Lio decided, to which he just saw Minna nod tiredly. It really could give him whiplash with how fast his sister could change from overly excited and full of energy to lethargic and drained.

A few minutes of silence passed, in which the siblings came closer to the shore. When they were almost at the edge of the forest that ended in the beach, he noticed that Minna was noticeably lagging behind him now.

“Hurry up, Minna. Mama needs the berries before the morning rush starts!” He said a little louder than otherwise necessary to snap her out of her tired daze.

“But I’m tired and my leg hurts!” she whined back.

“We’ll treat it as soon as we’re home. It’s just a small scratch anyway, so you’ll live.” Lio rolled his eyes and just trusted his sister to get a grip eventually and follow at a quicker pace. He had taken a few steps on the beach towards town, already seeing the small houses in the distance, when a cry from Minna startled him to a halt.

“Lio, look! A mermaid! She’s so pretty!”

He turned around so fast that he almost spilled the berries. Setting the basket down on the beach slowly, he watched in horror as the faerie being set her gaze on him. The smile she threw him was the very definition of ‘wicked’ and it sent a shiver down his spine. That was it. He was doomed! But never had doom looked so beautiful.

Her hair was as dark as shadows at night, but held a blueish shimmer to it, making it look pure and unique. Her eyes were an iridescent blue, but their beauty did not betray the impish gleam they held. While Lio purposefully ignored her bare chest, his eyes _did_ catch on her blue-scaled tail. It was long and looked strong. One slap of it would surely mean broken bones. Apart from that, it looked breathtakingly beautiful. The scales glistened in all nuances of blue in the morning light and glittered out of wetness.

The spell her appearance had on him broke when he heard the sound of splashing water and his look immediately turned to Minna. His sister was on a quest again, but instead of stubbornly finding shortcuts through thorns, her quest now was to approach a deadly sea monster.

“Minna, no! She will kill you!” Lio yelled in panic and ran after her. If he hoped to be able to stop her though, then this hope was in vain. She had already reached the mermaid and giddily offered her the blueberries.

This was it. He would not only lose _his_ life, but his sister would lose hers too. This was a mermaid, so he couldn’t do anything to stop a tragedy. Legends told of men being completely under a mermaid’s spell once they sang. When her natural beauty had already succeeded in rooting the teenager in place, then he did not even want to imagine what a song sung by her would do to him.

Lio was close to a heart attack when the mermaid shifted on the rock and within the movement brushed her tail fins against Minna’s legs. To his utter surprise and shock, the sea monster did not attack his sister though but merely took a blueberry out of the basket, regarding it curiously as if she had never seen one. Well, she probably hadn’t, living in the sea and all.

“You can eat it!” Minna piped up and wiggled excitedly in place. The mermaid seemed to contemplate the berry for a moment, before eating it delicately. Her face immediately lit up in what seemed to be delight.

 “Do you like it?” Lio’s little sister pressed while he still stood a few meters away, frozen in place by fear. The mermaid’s reaction confused him. After all, they were in the presence of a man-eating sea monster, not an innocent maiden! It probably was a trick. She would attack them any second now. Her civil mannerisms were probably some sort of distraction to let them lower their guard. Or worse even, there were more mermaids around that would attack them in an ambush!

Right as he thought that, the blue eyes turned to him. Whatever spell her beauty had held Lio in before was broken the moment sunlight fell on her face, making her pupils thinner than any person’s pupils should be. They were cat-like, not round like that of a human. This was all it took to solidify the fact that this was not a friendly half-human creature. Humans didn’t have eyes like this. Nothing good had eyes like this.

Said eyes turned to Minna again.

“It is divine.”

Her voice. It was right as he heard her voice that he knew he was doomed. It was melodious with an otherworldly nature to it. It made him feel safe and calm, letting him want to be closer to her. It was irresistible. No wonder, this was a faerie after all!

“I know, right? Our town’s blueberries are the best! Oh, but mama needs them for the bakery, so I can’t give you a lot.” Minna rambled on and Lio got the opportunity to watch the mermaid’s eyes darken in what seemed to be dangerous disappointment. It looked like she was plotting a mass murder.

His sister, his innocent and perfect little sister, managed to save what he didn’t doubt would indeed have been a mass murder with another act of kindness. Taking out the handkerchief she had made herself and which had taken painstakingly long, she laid it on the rock and placed a few blueberries on it.

“You can keep the handkerchief if you want. It’s a present!” Minna was proud and protective of said handkerchief. For her to give it away meant a lot. The mermaid seemed surprised too, though for probably a whole other reason.

“Can you please grant me a wish, Miss Mermaid?”

And with that, the surprise on the mermaid’s face grew. She also looked slightly insulted but spoke again anyway in her heavenly voice.

“What is your wish?”

“I want to go on a ship and find my papa! Oh, and can Lio come too? He’s my brother!”

_Oh hell._ Lio thought and dreaded those un-human eyes to turn to him again. The mermaid did no such thing though. Instead, she looked at Minna in utter bewilderment.

“I don’t see what is stopping you. There are hundreds of ships on sea every day. Surely you can find the one your _papa_ is on eventually and go on it. Drag that man with you too if you so desperately want it.”

_Time to keep Minna away from ships again if we get out of this alive._

It was as Lio thought this that the mermaid moved down from the rock she had so far been perched on. That was it then. Minna would die. Without regard to his own safety, the teenager made a step forward, but one look from the mermaid made him stop again.

She didn’t look vicious or evil at this moment. The wicked gleam she had had to her eyes before when she had looked at him was gone. Curiosity was all that was left. Something in that look convinced him that her intentions were pure. In hindsight, this might have been due to her mermaid charm, but it made him not intervene when she approached the little girl cautiously. The sea monster’s lips kissed Minna’s still bleeding scratch wound and when she pulled back, the wound was gone.

The mermaid had healed Minna. _Why!?_

“A little ‘thank you’ for the blueberries,” came the reply to Lio’s unspoken question, but it was directed at his sister.

This was the last the siblings heard and saw of the blue-eyed noirette before she retreated to the ocean without as much as a glance back. All that was left were the sounds of the soothing waves and of the seagulls flying above.

Lio let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. That had been way too close for comfort.

“Let’s go home, Minna. Mama still needs the berries.”

* * *

“That was incredibly dangerous, Minna! What were you thinking!?” Her mother scolded, while simultaneously taking a batch of fresh bread loafs out of the oven.

“But she was so nice! She liked the blueberries I gave her and she healed my leg!” The little girl argued enthusiastically. Lio, meanwhile, was busy sorting said blueberries at the back of the small bakery’s kitchen.

“She still was a murderous sea monster! I don’t want you to go near any fairies, Minna, especially when they are obviously some, like this mermaid. They are very dangerous and unkind to humans.”

“But she was nice,” Minna pouted.

“I will bring you two to Grandmother Jossy later, so she can see if there is any lingering magic. Not enough that Alden is gone, now you two could even be cursed.” She muttered the last part under her breath while walking out of the kitchen to the counter, where a customer was waiting to make an order.

“Why would we be cursed, Lio?” Minna asked once their mother was gone.

“Because mermaids are sea witches,” her brother replied without hesitation. Another bad berry was thrown into the bucket on the floor while he continued. “She even used magic to heal you, so she is definitely capable of it.”

“But that was good magic! Grandmama Jossy always says that magic that heals is good magic and magic that destroys is bad magic. The mermaid must be good!”

“Mermaids are sea monsters. They are bad by default.”

“That doesn’t make sense!” Minna crossed her arms and pouted. Her brother opened his mouth to say something, but then thought better of it. There really was no arguing with her when she was this stubborn. Instead, he kept sorting the blueberries and whatever tasks awaited him afterwards.

It took hours, but eventually there was a break in customers, which their mother used to send her kids to the other end of town where Grandma Jossy lived. Lio took the longer road on purpose, knowing they would not pass the docks on it. Since that mermaid had straight up told Minna to jump on a ship, he needed to be extra careful.

After their father had sailed away on a merchant ship two years ago, the family grew uneasy. The work at the bakery was harder without him there and especially Minna missed him. She got excited about every ship she saw, thinking that her father would be on it. Eventually though, she got the idea in her head to sail out with a ship and find him on her own. Every since then, she started sneaking on ships and usually had to be pulled back by Lio before a disaster would happen. She luckily has calmed down with her jumping on a ship idea in the previous few months, but that didn’t mean that she still wasn’t tempted. With the mermaid now encouraging her behaviour, the older brother feared the worst, hoping that Minna would eventually see reason.

The walk to Grandma Jossy’s hut at the edge of town took about half an hour, but when they eventually arrived, they found the sole inhabitant of said hut on the veranda braiding some bracelets.

“Grandmama Jossy!” Minna cried excitedly and ran up to the old woman to hug her. While she was no one’s related grandmother, she still insisted to be addressed as such.

“Hello small fry, how are you doing?” she said with a chuckle and hugged the small girl.

“Lio and I saw a mermaid this morning!” Instead of the shock their mother had shown at those news, Grandma Jossy’s eyes lit up with curiosity.

“A mermaid, you say? And she didn’t harm you?” The latter question was directed at Lio who had climbed up the veranda and sat down on the porch swing.

“I think she wanted to at first, but Minna offered her blueberries and wouldn’t stop talking to her. Before we really knew what happened, she had healed the scratch Minna got on her leg and disappeared in the ocean.”

“Interesting,” Grandma Jossy said thoughtfully while sitting down Minna on her lap.

“Mama said she cursed us!” The girl piped up and seemed to be downright insulted by that idea. Grandma Jossy just chuckled.

“Your mama doesn’t know much about the sea, does she? Well, I don’t think you have to worry about a curse from a mermaid. When she left you in peace, then she also means peace. Nothing more and nothing less.”

“How do you know that?” Lio asked sceptically. After all, the mermaid had originally intended anything _but_ peace.

Grandma Jossy threw him a grin that showed that she missed quite a few teeth and tapped her eye patch.

_Here we go again._ Lio thought. Grandma Jossy always claimed to have once been a pirate and that her missing eye was proof for that. Most people thought it was pretend to tell the kids some exciting tales, but Lio had learned with the years, that Grandma Jossy fully believed in everything she told. But even if it _was_ true, it was hard to imagine the senile old woman to have once been a feared pirate captain. The most convincing argument against it was that she was a woman and women were not welcome on ships. So, to let a whole crew answer to her bidding was highly unrealistic. They still were good stories though.

“Have I ever told you how I became a pirate captain?” Grandma Jossy asked even though she knew the answer already.

“No, you haven’t. Can you tell us please?!” Minna asked with pleading puppy eyes, which earned the siblings another few-toothed grin from the old woman.

“Back when I was young, I used to seek adventure. Even though I lived in a big city, there was only so much adventure one could find at a place you already knew. Traveling the world would have been too expensive, but the sea has always called to me anyway.

“So, one day I stole my father’s clothes, cut my hair off and bound my chest to travel with a merchant ship as a sailor. Traveling the sea was unlike anything I have ever experienced and I loved it. For the first few months everything went fine and I even started to learn how to steer the ship, mostly at night when it was my shift to watch out for any danger.

“It had almost been a year and I had ever since sailed far away from home, when an accident happened. I stumbled and fell into a nail, so that she ship’s doctor had to take off my shirt to inspect the wound. Once they found out I was a woman, they started making all kinds of ridiculous claims. I was blamed for even the smallest of things and they were convinced that it was due to woman on ships being bad luck.

“They bound my legs and arms together and threw me off the ship, thinking it would stop the supposed bad luck. Little did they know that their bad luck started right then and there. As my luck had it, I was saved just before I drowned. The one who saved me was none other than a mermaid.”

Minna gasped excitedly and Lio just commented with a surprised rise of his eyebrows.

“What happened then? What happened then?!” Minna asked and wiggled eagerly.

“Then, small fry, the _real_ adventure started.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be at least 2000 words longer, but at the last minute I decided that mindless storytelling is boring, so I'm gonna rewrite that in another perspective and in a chapter of its own. c:  
> Really looking forward to it since I like this story Grandma Jossy is gonna tell ;D


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